8 things you need to know about the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV

Could Canon's latest 5D be another game-changer?

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The arrival of the EOS 5D Mark IV is a big deal. Canon's 5D series of DSLRs has been hugely successful, ushering in full-frame photography to a wider audience as well as transforming the video market thanks to their Full HD video capture.

With a range of excellent features backed up by impressive performance, the outgoing 5D Mark III has become a firm favourite among both enthusiasts and professionals, so if it improves on that camera the EOS 5D Mark IV should be pretty special.

Let's take a look at some of the key features on the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV.

1. Design

With Canon not wanting to tinker with a successful recipe the 5D Mark IV doesn't look dramatically different from its predecessors, but it's actually 60g lighter than the 5D Mark III, and adds improvements to the weather sealing.

2. Image quality

Resolution jumps up to 30.4MP, with an expandable ISO range of 50-102,400, but the bigger news here is Dual Pixel Raw. This clever technology allows the photographer to select a slightly different point at which the image is sharpest after the image has been captured – no more portraits in which the eyes aren't pin-sharp.

3. Autofocus

The AF system looks to be almost identical to that in the EOS-1D X Mark II (though we're told some of the components are different); it's a 61-point AF system, with all points selectable by the user, and 41 of those AF points are cross-type variants for even great accuracy.

To speed things up during Live View shooting and movie capture, the 5D Mark IV also sports Dual Pixel CMOS AF.

4. Display

There's a new 3.2-inch, 1,620,000-dot rear display with touchscreen functionality, offering control over focus point selection, menu navigation and image review.

5. 4K Video

It's hardly a surprise to see 4K video capture come to the 5D Mark IV, offering videographers DCI cinema-type 4K (4096 x 2160 pixels) capture at 30/25/24fps, as well as Full HD at 60fps and HD at 120fps. There are also new timelapse movie and HDR movie mode settings, while there are connections for both headphones and a microphone.

6. Connectivity

The 5D Mark IV features Wi-Fi, enabling both remote operation and secure file transfer (FTPS/FTP) via smart devices using the Canon Camera Connect app. There's also NFC for instant connection with compatible devices, and GPS to geotag each image in the EXIF data with automatic time updates. For the first time the Mark IV also supports IPTC metadata, enabling you to enter info such as details of a shoot, and automatically embed it in your images.

7. New lenses

Along with the announcement of the 5D Mark IV, Canon has launched two new lenses. The EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM features an improved 4-stop IS anti-shake system and a new video design EDM unit to provide quiet aperture adjustment during movie capture, while the EF 16-35mm f/2.8L III USM features an improved optical design to take advantage of the latest sensors.

8. Pricing

The Canon EOS 5D Mark IV is expected to start shipping with a body-only price of £3,629 ($3,499). We should know the Australian price very soon and will update as soon as we get it.

It will also be sold as a kit with either the EF 24-70mm f/4L lens ($4,399, UK pricing to be confirmed) or the new EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM lens ($4,599; again, UK pricing to be confirmed).